Street Fighter 6 Game Review

With a buttery smooth online experience and one of the best single-player campaigns in a fighting game, Street Fighter 6 is an unashamed winner. Its fresh Drive Gauge system and winning characters make for a blast.

Novices will find plenty to like too, thanks to the smart training systems that cater for all skill levels. Add in a Yakuza-like RPG mode where you tutor classic Street Fighter masters to adopt their styles, and you have a solid package that’s ready for anyone to dive into.

Combat System

The new fighting systems in Street Fighter 6 bring a fresh new element to the game and arguably set it apart from its competitors. The defining new mechanic is the Drive Gauge, which appears as six small blocks beneath a character’s health bar. Players can manage this meter to perform a variety of offensive, defensive, and movement techniques.

This includes Drive Impact, which echoes the focus attack from Street Fighter 4, and provides an armored counter that can tank up to two hits while dealing a devastating blow of its own. It can also be used to wall-smack opponents in the corner, which often provides additional damage and combo opportunities.

These new control modes will help to draw in players who might be intimidated by the complexity of traditional Street Fighter command inputs. Likewise, younger players and disabled players can enjoy the game without being forced to memorize complex button inputs.

World Tour

Capcom has gone all-out on World Tour, a full-fledged single-player mode that asks the question “What is strength?” while simultaneously teaching players how to play the game. In this mode, you can build your custom avatar and go out into the city to find masters who will teach you their fighting styles.

You can even buy gear that affects your character’s stats, and eat food to heal up and gain boosts. The customization options are surprisingly extensive, and you can let your imagination run wild with your fighter’s look.

Taking elements from Yakuza and other RPGs, this mode does an admirable job of delivering a thorough tutorial while still being entertaining to play. It’s a great balance of seriousness and silliness that keeps Street Fighter 6 from getting bogged down in its mechanics.

Characters

Like the previous games, Street Fighter 6 is full of vibrant characters and environments. From Jamie’s brash moves worthy of a Jackie Chan flick to Cammy’s redesigned look, the base roster is a feast for the eyes.

The S-tier characters are easily the best in the game. They offer a varied move-set, good frame data, and combo potential. They also have a strong presence in the community and at Evo.

Ryu, the original face of SF, is in fine form here. His powerful specials and hulking body mean that he can slam opponents to the ground online. He’s aided by the game’s new “modern” control scheme, which simplifies the number of inputs needed to throw a fireball.

Visuals

As the number one vehicle through which crucial information is communicated to players, fighting game visuals have a lot riding on them. It’s not enough that they look good; they also need to tell audiences exactly what’s happening on the screen in front of them sixty times a second.

While Street Fighter 5 lacked meaty single-player content at launch, Street Fighter 6 features a new World Tour mode that allows you to create a custom character and roam the streets of various locations worldwide engaging in impromptu battles. Whether you’re training with Sifu Chun-Li, wildin’ out with Blanka, or meditating with Ryu, the game is full of vibrant special effects and colorful graffiti.

Capcom has optimized the game for current-gen consoles with Performance and Resolution modes, which maintain 60 FPS and 4K respectively. Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry recently put the demo through its paces on PS4 Pro, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Soundtrack

Street Fighter 6 is one of the most complete fighting game packages out there. Whether you’re a day one beginner or a seasoned veteran the training systems on offer are extremely robust. In particular, the frame data visualization and ‘basic’ practice modes like anti-air, whip punishing, and so on help players learn the basics and refine their skills.

The soundtrack is another high point. The whopping 284-track set includes musical arrangements from the Fighting Ground, Battle Hub, and World Tour modes. The opulent selection of character and stage themes is a great addition to the game’s aesthetic. Its melodies may not be as catchy as SF III or Alpha 3’s but there’s still plenty of catchiness to be found here. The crunchy sound effects and top-notch voice acting bring the cast to life too.